A Thousand Flowers
by SeraphicTune
Summary: NEXTGEN fic: The lives of the mafia world children. Longchamp's daughter is mildly normal? Ryohei's son plays baseball? Gokudera's daughter hates his guts? Yamamoto's daughter does gymnastics? Who is Vongola the 11th anyway?
1. Momoka: A Class Rep's Duty

**A/N**: **So...I just had this random thought process. And this is it. It's nextgen (I know...there are a lot of those .) and it might not be that good. It's slightly spinoff-ish to The Guardian of Autumn (I have to update that...but I'm studying for APs!). There are quite a bit of OCs, I hope they don't get too confusing. Hope you enjoy! Please review, constructive critism and advice would be greatly appreciated~!**

**DISCLAIMER**: I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn in anyway, it belongs to Amano Akira. This is fanwork, I merely own my OCs.

* * *

"Hey, Yamamoto, can you lend me the notes from yesterday? I was out sick."

The class representative, Yamamoto Momoka smiled and agreed, handing her notebook to the boy who had asked.

"Sure, um, Tamizawa-kun," she said uncertainly, bad with names despite being in charge of the class. "I hope they'll be of use to you."

"It's _To_mizawa," corrected her classmate, "thanks anyway, Yamamoto."

"Hahaha, I knew that, Tomizawa-kun. No problem, just don't forget to return it." Momoka covered her embarrassment with a laugh, snapping the rubber band on her wrist nervously.

"Momoka-chan," called a girl from across the room. "Come here for a bit?"

"Duty calls. I hope this'll help you _To_mizawa-kun," smiled Momoka cheerfully before dashing off.

"What a weird Iinchou we have," muttered Tomizawa as he walked away clutching the notes.

"What is it, Ruka-chan? I have to go deliver some papers to the teacher's workroom later." Momoka tapped a foot impatiently; Ruka was prone to gossip, but it was her job to listen to everyone fairly and equally.

"Your brother is Ryutaro-kun, a first year, right? I overheard my little sister, Ami, talking about him with her friends and it seems like she confessed to him yesterday. Has your brother said anything about it?"

Surprised, Momoka nodded a 'no.' She never thought her brother was attractive to other girls, he was always her crybaby little brother. "I don't think he's really interested in anyone at the moment," she guessed, creeping backwards toward the door. "I'm sorry, but I really have to go deliver papers to the teacher's workroom. See you later."

"You're always so busy, huh? Well, I'll just ask Ami how it went later, bye!"

"I'll ask Ryu later," Momoka called over her shoulder, snatching the papers that she needed off her desk. After sliding the classroom door shut, she sighed with relief. Ruka had stopped her once before school to chat and they had both ended up being late and the Chairman of the Disciplinary Committee had not been happy about it…

"Sensei, I brought the student's forms that you requested." The dutiful Momoka slid the stack of papers onto the teacher's desk before bowing and leaving.

"That Yamamoto sure is a good girl, very obedient and intelligent. She'd make someone a great wife one day," commented Mochida-sensei, rifling through the papers satisfactorily.

* * *

"Momoka-chan, come have lunch with me!" Naito Kotori waved enthusiastically, her dark ringlets bouncing up and down; the only thing keeping them from springing in all directions was the silver headband she wore. "Mangusta packed me too much curry, so we can share."

"Oh?" Momoka sat in the seat that Kotori had saved her, taking out the extra fork her mom had packed with her bento. "Your mom didn't pack your lunch?"

"You should know by now that my mom can't cook for her life. Or vacuum. Or clean. Or sew. Or garden. The list goes on. My dad's even more useless. This morning, he put on his suit backwards and he tripped over a new box of socks Mom and Mangusta bought at a bargain sale."

"Mangusta's pretty good at cooking." Momoka licked the curry from her teeth, spooning up more. "Ruka-chan told me that Ryu was confessed to yesterday. I can't imagine it; my baby brother is growing up."

"Ryutaro-kun? Good for him! Do you know if he accepted the confession or not? I remember when a boy first confessed to me, I was a first grader." Kotori gave a nostalgic smile. "I told my dad and you know what he said? 'Go for it Kotori! There are lots of beautiful men out there, so have your way with them. I was just like you when I was younger, pretty popular with the ladies. I can't do anything about it now or your mom will be upset.' Can you believe my dad? He's _so_ weird," giggled the dark haired girl. "In a good way of course."

Momoka raised an eyebrow, "No, I don't know if Ryu accepted or not. It sounds like your daddy was a player. No wonder your mom wanted to kill him all the time. No offense, but Uncle Tsuna's shown me photo albums and your dad dated the _ugliest_ girls, even Uncle Dino ran away."

"True. Very true. I bet he secretly goes out drinking with ugly women on weekends and when he gets home, Mom beats him up to death with her pinwheels and locks him out of the house." Kotori smiled conspiratorially, rubbing her palms together in glee.

"You get bored _way_ too easily, Kotori-chan. Maybe you should get a boyfriend to keep you occupied, or join a club. Your mom would get mad if she heard you talking like this, right?"

"Nah, Dad says much worse things. Anyway, I _do_ want to join clubs! I just don't know which ones to pick; I want to do all of them." Kotori's eyes widened with an idea. "Maybe I should join the student council so I can hang out with you _all_ the time, Momoka-chan."

Hastily, the brunette shook her head in rejection. "Don't! You'll just get in the way of things; I know you wouldn't take it seriously. Why don't you join the basketball club or maybe the anime club or something?"

"_Momo_ka-chan, you're so booooooooooring sometimes." Kotori stretched her limbs, finished eating. "I want to do a club with a friend!"

"Can't you join the fashion club with Ruka-chan?" Momoka pleaded. The other members of the student council would definitely be mad if Kotori messed up and they'd blame the associated Momoka too.

Kotori thought about it but disapproved. "Ruka only talks about dramas that I've never watched before. I'd rather join the Agriculture club with Aoi-chan. At least she is mysterious, hehe."

Momoka brightened at this idea. Aoi could use more friends; she rarely spoke to anyone at school. "That's a great idea! I'm sure Aoi-chan would like you. She's been upset lately because her dad's been pressuring her to join the Disciplinary Committee."

"That fighter of a dad? Her dad is strict, but he's not bad looking," giggled Kotori. "Too bad he's 20 years too old for me and married, haha."

"Kotori-chan! Don't joke around like that, it's gross," complained Momoka, uncomfortable with the way her friend sized up men. "Uncle Hibari is older than your dad!"

"Yeah, but he's much better looking than my dad. Good thing I ended up looking like my mom." The dark-haired girl grinned playfully, scooping up the empty box of curry. Momoka had eaten away at it hungrily, not realizing that she was scraping the edges already. "I'm going to go wash this out since class is starting soon. I'll be back, Momoka-chan."

The brunette nodded and groaned when Kotori left, placing a hand on her forehead. She imagined Kotori lusting after her dad and shuddered with the gross implications. _It's a good thing Mom and Dad are still madly in love with each other, or I'd have Kotori hanging around Take Sushi making eyes at Dad_. Momoka groaned again. Why did she have to have such a weird friend?

* * *

Finally! The Student Council meeting had dragged on for longer than usual and now it was finally done. Momoka was getting her shoes from the shoebox when she noticed Senri was getting his bag as well. She smiled, now here was someone who was just the slightest bit sane!

"Senri," she called out, "are you done with practice?"

The ebony haired baseball player grunted a yes before scooping his baseball equipment into his bag. Senri took his baseball cap off, fanning his face, the sweat beading at his hairline. He glanced over at his childhood friend enviously, how nice, she looked so refreshing and cool.

"Water," he demanded, holding a hand out. "Ryu took mines."

Momoka took in his sweaty state and dug around her schoolbag, triumphantly whipping out a half drunken bottle of water. She threw it, watching it intently as it fell gracefully into the boy's outstretched hand.

"I drank some of it during lunch, but there's still some left." When he looked at it hesitantly, she scowled at him, "If you're thirsty, just drink it!" The boy didn't need much more prompting; he slipped his hat back on, tilting his head back as he poured the water over his face, letting some of it make its way to his mouth.

Momoka stamped her feet into her shoes, striding over to the dark-haired boy. She forced the bottle to his lips. The way he was drinking it, the water was going to waste. His eyes widened in surprise, but he chokingly swallowed the rest of it.

"Thanks, Momo." Senri wiped his lips with his sleeve, coughing slightly. "I'll be ready in a bit, so wait for me, ok?" The third year grabbed a change of clothes and went into the boy's locker room. Sighing, the impatient girl rearranged his bag, neatly organizing the contents of his sports bag. Shortly after, a clean Senri popped out of the boy's locker room.

"You showered?" Momoka pointed at his wet, flopping hair. "You used soap, right?" The dark haired boy chuckled and nodded a yes. He leaned his head onto her shoulder, shaking his head so that his wet hair tickled her neck

"Hahahahahah—s-s-stop it, S-S-Senri," Momoka gasped, trying to take a breath as she laughed. She had inherited her mother's ticklishness, although it was more her neck area. "You're g-g-getting me wet, s-s-s-top it."

Senri lifted his face, smiling wolfishly. "You smelled the soap right? I'm insulted that you even questioned my ability to keep myself clean. My mom would kill me if I wasn't clean, since Dad's always come home reeking of sweat."

"Just a moment ago, you were reeking of sweat too," pointed out Momoka, patting her damp shirt. She sniffed it cautiously, the scent of Senri's shampoo lingering on her shoulder. "Your mom is going to be _mad_ if you're late to dinner, right? So can you hurry a bit?"

"Oh crap, you're right! Dad said this morning that he's staying at Uncle Hayato's house, so he can't cover for me." He grabbed his stuff frantically and sprinted out the door, grabbing Momoka by the arm. "Mom likes you, so can you cover for me, Momo?" Senri looked at her with puppy eyes, his damp hair tousling in the wind. He squeezed her arm lightly, making a slight whimpering sound.

Momoka looked away, embarrassed at her friend's complete lack of dignity when it came to his mother. She sighed, "Fine, but can you stop making that pathetic face? Your dad would be ashamed to see you looking so unmanly."

Senri laughed and shrugged, keeping their fast pace up. "Dad does the same thing to Mom when she gets mad and it works!" The ebony-haired boy grinned at his friend, if there was anyone who could bail him out of trouble with his strict mother, it was Momoka. "So, how was your day?"

"Oh, being less self-centered today? That's a surprise, Senri. _Well_, it feels like people are always ordering me around. 'Come here,' 'do that,' 'do this.' Do I _look_ like some kind of slave dog to you?" Momoka fumed, her left hand pointing to her face. Senri slowed down a few steps; they had made it into their neighborhood, so there was no need to rush anymore. The baseball player observed her brown eyes that shone with pent up frustration, her shoulder length brown hair curling into her face, and laughed.

"We just need some ears and you'd make a great dog, now sit," commanded Senri jokingly, speeding up, but not fast enough to avoid Momoka's punch to his side. His figure bent over in half, winded from her punch. He inhaled sharply and then straightened, letting a out a strangled whistle.

"You should box with my dad sometime; you've got a worthy punch." Maybe feeding her compliments would prevent him from getting another punch.

"Save your flattery for your mom," retorted Momoka, her hands on her hips. "Open the door now." Senri hadn't realized that they were at his house already. Nervously, he fumbled for his keys, but not before the front door swung open to reveal a very angry mother.

"Senri! Where were you? Practice should have ended half an hour ago, you do realize that you have to study for the upcoming exams?" Noticing Momoka, Hana stopped her rant and smiled at Momoka. "Momoka, how nice to see you. Were you helping my idiot son out? Thank you for always looking after him."

Since she had promised Senri, she nodded and bowed. "Same here, Senri is a good friend, he stopped me after practice to help him with a problem and we were studying in the library. Sorry if I kept him out too late, Auntie Hana."

Hana nudged her son, pointing upstairs to Senri's room. Grudgingly, he climbed the stairs, giving a wave to Momoka before closing his door quietly. Hana invited Momoka in, indicating that she should sit on the couch. "It's alright, since he was studying. Momoka, how has school been? I heard Ryutaro joined the baseball team," snorted Hana, "just like my Senri. Your dad must be proud, right? I know Ryohei was very disappointed when Senri didn't want to do boxing. Either way, as long as Senri keeps up his grades and keeps out of trouble, I don't mind too much."

"Yeah, Ryu joined the team, although Dad said he didn't mind what Ryu did, as long as he was happy." Momoka glanced at her watch, it was getting late. Then she remembered what she was supposed to tell Senri. "If you don't mind, Auntie Hana, I'll just run up to Senri's room and deliver a message." Hana gave the okay and returned to the book she had been reading before the kids had arrived.

"Senri!" Momoka called, knocking on his door. "I forgot to deliver a message."

The door opened a crack and the boy poked his head out, "What? Did my mom tell you to do something?"

"No, but I totally saved your butt back there. Anyway, Dad told me this morning that we should probably go talk to Nao-san sometime soon, since it looks like she's been pretty troublesome lately."

Senri sighed, widening the door a little, "Nao-san, huh? She's pretty intimidating. I can talk to her brother; he's a pretty cool guy. But it's better if we both go to her, right? I guess we'll stop by her house tomorrow morning. My dad's supposed to be there anyway. Anything else, Momo? You heard my mom; I've got work to do!" He gave her a small teasing smile and when it was confirmed she had nothing else to say, Momoka left.

* * *

"I'm home," she announced, dropping her bag onto the floor. Yamamoto called to her from the kitchen.

"Momoka-chan, you're home! I just got back from work and tried making some food," said her father, grinning his usual wide smile. "Ryu's not with you?"

"No, he was still practicing with some of his friends on the field when I left." The brunette hopped into a chair, folding her arms together expectantly. "Where's Mom?"

"Ah, she went on a _business_ trip." Yamamoto rubbed his neck with a nervous smile while flipping the yakisoba. "She'll come home soon, so don't worry."

"It's not me, I'm worried about, it's Ryu. He's always been such a mama's boy; I mean, can he _really_ cope with your cooking?"

"Haha, true," laughed Yamamoto easily. He started to plate the yakisoba quickly, serving Momoka. "Sorry, you'll be on your own tonight. I'm going over to Gokudera's house. I'll see you tomorrow, ok?" Yamamoto slung Shigure Kintoki over his shoulder and was halfway out the door when Momoka stopped him.

"Wait, you're going over to Uncle Hayato's house too? So is Senri's dad. What's going on?"

Yamamoto averted his daughter's gaze and patted her comfortingly on the head. "Don't worry Momoka-chan, it's just Guardian talk."

"It's about Nao-san, isn't it?" It was more of a statement rather than a question. Momoka crossed her arms, expectantly. Yamamoto nodded seriously and gave her a quick hug before leaving.

* * *

"Onee-chan, where's Mom and Dad?" Ryutaro entered the kitchen, still in his baseball uniform. "I'm hungry."

"Mom's on a business trip, Dad's at Uncle Hayato's house." Momoka gave him a sly smile. "So I heard you were confessed to yesterday, _Ryu_."

Her brother's blue eyes widened, his face flushing. His sister was going to torture the information out of him, it was best to leave now, since Mom and Dad weren't home. He stammered, "I-I'm _really_ hungry! I'll go to my friend's house, ok? Bye!" After hearing the door slam, Momoka went to her room and took out her steel ribbon stick. She polished it, muttering about how was it possible that _anyone_ find her brother attractive, he was such a wimp, unlike his parents.

* * *

**A/N: Is Naito Longchamp...is his last name Naito? I was a little confused about that, sorry! So just to make sure everyone is sure who is who, here's a reference:**

**Yamamoto Momoka - Yamamoto Takeshi's daughter, Namimori Middle 3rd year, is the class rep (Senri is the only one besides her mom who calls her "Momo")**

**Naito Kotori - Naito Longchamp and Pantera's daughter, Namimori Middle 3rd year, not part of any clubs (if you couldn't figure out who her mom was XD)**

**Yamamoto Ryutaro - Yamamoto Takeshi's son, Namimori Middle 1st year, part of the baseball club (most commonly referred to as "Ryu" by family and friends)**

**Hibari Aoi - Hibari Kyouya's daughter, Namimori Middle 3rd year, part of the Agriculture club (is 'mysterious' according to Kotori)**

**Sasagawa Senri - Sasagawa Ryohei and Kurokawa Hana's son, Namimori Middle, 3rd year, part of the baseball club (is afraid of his mom...with good reason! XD)**

**Nao - intimidating girl (according to Senri) ( - - - just making sure, everyone knows who her dad is, right?)**

**Hope this helped clear things up a bit~! Reviews would be lovely. Enjoy~~ **


	2. Senri: Master Oversleeper

**A/N: Woot! I updated in a day. Because of the wonderful reviews! -sparkles- *w* I got really motivated since you guys seemed to like it. Thanks for the support! So, I present to you, the 2nd chapter! Enjoy~ Review if you like it (it makes me happy~) or if you want to give constructive criticism or advice. Thanks for reading! **

**Once again~ Enjoy~ **

* * *

Hana stood over her elder son's bed, a pot in one hand and a wooden spoon in the other. His alarm clock had been going off for ten minutes and yet he was still sleeping like the dead. _He_ was the one who had insisted on getting up early today, for heavens know what. Even Senri's brother had woken up from the alarm (and he slept two rooms away). Hana had been making breakfast in the kitchen when she couldn't tolerate the annoying _beep beep beep_ of her son's alarm any longer.

"Sasagawa Senri! Wake up this instant." His furious mother pounded the steel pot loudly right next to her son's head. "If you don't wake up RIGHT NOW, I'm suspending your baseball practice for a _month_. Do you hear me? A _month_!"

The dedicated baseball player shot up in bed, his hear sticking up, and his hands in surrender. "Alright, I got it, I'm awake!" Satisfied to see her threats had worked, Hana slammed the couch pillow (her back-up plan) into his face.

"Now come down for breakfast, or you can go to school without eating. You woke up your brother, you know." Hana returned to the kitchen, but not before angrily reminding her son that he had to get his school uniform from the laundry. She had washed it yesterday when she had discovered pieces of his lunch dried to his blazer and pants.

"Here, Aniki, I got it for you," said Benjirou as he tossed his brother's school uniform onto his bed. "Mom's pretty mad right now, so you better hurry."

"Thanks Benji," groaned Senri, slamming the "sleep" button on his alarm. "Tell her I'll be right down."

"You can tell her yourself. I got your clothes for you, but I don't have to do everything you say." Benjirou stuck his tongue out and retreated back to his room.

"You're not five years old, you know!" shouted Senri, shaking his head at his brother. "He's been influenced by Momo, huh?" The boy quickly got dressed and ran downstairs, gobbling his breakfast with practiced speed, inhaling sharply when he burned his tongue on the fresh out of the pot soup.

"Senri, if you eat that fast, you'll get fat," commented his mother coolly, gracefully drinking her miso soup across the table from him.

"It's alright, I do sports," smiled Senri half-heartedly, trying not to wilt under Hana's disapproving gaze. "I'm going now!"

Hana sighed and gave him a rare soft smile. "Have a safe trip, Senri." As the door slammed shut, Hana wondered aloud, "Why did I decide to have kids again? I _hate_ kids." But she knew the answer. It wasn't like she had planned on marrying Sasagawa Ryohei either, that idiot brother of Kyoko's. Her plans for the future had been ruined, yet, it hadn't turned out that bad after all.

_

* * *

_

Ding Dong! Ding Dong!

Senri pushed the doorbell excessively, shifting his weight around, running a hand through his hair that was still sticking up.

"Hurry up and open the door," he muttered underneath his breath. As if hearing his complaint, the door slammed open.

"WILL YOU SHUT UP?" shouted Momoka, an apron on over her school uniform, a sudsy sponge in one hand. "You don't have to ring it that many times, I can hear you!"

"Momo," cheered Senri happily, "good morning!"

Momoka growled at his carefree greeting and ushered him into the kitchen to help her with the dishes. "Start drying."

Senri grinned and accepted the wet dish, polishing it dry with a washcloth. It wasn't often he got to see Momoka in an apron and he quite liked it. Aprons were a secret fetish of his and he was always extra happy the days that the girls had home ec.

"Where is everyone? Your house is dead silent for once," commented Senri, sneaking another peek at Momoka, or rather, Momoka in her blue apron.

"Mom's away on a business trip, Dad's at Uncle Hayato's house, and Ryu ditched me last night for his friend's house and never came back," listed the girl on her fingers.

"So, we have the whole house to ourselves?" asked Senri with a mischievous waggle of his brows. "What about your grandpa?"

"Well, when you put it that way, I suppose yes. Ah, Grandpa flew to Hokkaido for his friend's daughter's wedding."

"Great! Then I know just the thing we can do," smiled Senri, pulling Momoka from the sink and drying her hands with his shirt. He dragged her upstairs and barged into her room. Lifting her with some struggle, the teenage boy threw the girl onto her bed, getting on next to her, bouncing slightly as he went. He leaned over her, brushing the hair out of her face, holding her eyes with his gaze.

The boy smiled, his breath tickling her nose when he spoke, "Are you ready, Momo?"

"Senri! We have to finish cleaning the dishes," protested Momoka, already climbing off, sliding underneath him. The Sasagawa boy grabbed her wrist and looked at her with woeful puppy dog eyes.

"Please? It'll be _fun_, I promise," he pouted, tugging the hem of her apron teasingly.

Momoka thought about it. No one was home. Just her and Senri. She looked over at her best friend, who was still making pitiful eyes at her and slapped him, hard across the face. No pity from her at all.

"OW! What was that for?" Senri cradled his cheek, starting to smile despite the blossoming pain. Maybe he was masochistic; it felt kind of good to be slapped by Momoka, her hands had been soft like a caress, until the stinging began. But he knew that was her way of saying "yes."

"For going into my room without permission, duh. If we want to do this, it has to be fast, or we'll be off schedule."

"Alright!" Senri raised his fists in a victory pose. He got off her bed and quickly threw her pillows and blankets onto the floor. Nimbly, he had her mattress stripped in seconds. Momoka messily threw her bed things onto her desk, and together, the two hauled the mattress into the hall, to the top of the stairs.

"Why'd you have to throw me onto my bed anyways?" asked Momoka, as they trundled the bed and sloped it so that it was slanted on the staircase.

"I wanted to test its bounciness," replied the boy cheekily before climbing onto the mattress and patting the spot in front of him. "Come sit in front of me, Momo."

Momoka rolled her eyes and sat between Senri's legs, clutching his knees for support. On the count of three, he shoved off, and the mattress went _whooshing_ down the stairs, bumping up and down slightly. The brunette giggled, bouncing slightly so that Senri ended up with a mouthful of her hair.

"Mpf." The boy spat out the lock of hair. Apologetically, he helped her stand up, offering his hand to her. "Was that fun or what? Let's do it again!"

"Don't eat my hair," she swatted his arm in mock anger. "No, we have to go to Nao-san's house, remember? Maybe some other time, Senri. Now help me put my bed back in my room."

Senri sighed, disappointed that they weren't going to mattress slide again. But he gave Momoka a thumbs up and carried the bed back into her room. When they were done, there wasn't enough time to finish cleaning the dishes and to visit Nao, so they left the dishes in the sink.

* * *

"LISTEN UP NAO," roared Ryohei, pounding his fist on the kitchen table in frustration, "You should listen to your dad to the EXTREME, even if he is an octopus head."

"So, you think it's a bad idea to join the Disciplinary Committee?" Nao glared at the prickly boxer. "So it's okay to have disorder at school? You agree with my father, Uncle Ryohei?"

Ryohei faltered at this, "Nao-chan wants to join the Disciplinary Committee?"

The petite girl glanced at her father, who was sitting next to her, pretending to read the newspaper. "My father didn't mention this when he called you two over?" She laughed bitterly, "How stupid of me, my father _never_ mentions the important details."

"Mah, mah, calm down Nao-chan. I bet your dad has his reasons for not letting you join the Disciplinary Committee, right, Gokudera?" Yamamoto looked at Gokudera with an encouraging smile.

Gokudera stiffened, looking up from his newspaper. Avoiding, the expectant Guardians and his daughter, he called to his wife, "Haru! I need more coffee."

"Hahi! Haru will bring it over soon. Nao-chan, do you want anything?"

"Can I have some green tea, Mother?" Nao broke her glare at her father and smiled tensely at her mother, who was standing next to the coffeemaker; Haru responded with a cheerful yes and bustled to pour the tea.

"Oi, Octopus Head, say something," poked Ryohei, with a baguette. "Nao-chan is waiting for your answer."

"You'll be hanging out with a bunch of delinquents, Nao," said Gokudera angrily, tearing into a piece of bread. "The Disciplinary Committee used to be headed by that bastard Hibari, you know. They weren't up to any good back in my day, and they aren't up to any good now either. Just a bunch of punks. Do you want to be like that, Nao?"

"What if I do?" shot back the redhead, slamming her palm on the table. "We're keeping the peace at Namimori Middle, not the other way around. It's not something you would understand, _Father_," sneered Nao, standing up. "I now know why Hibari-sama called you an herbivore; you're so _weak_ and _cowardly_."

"Nao-chan, isn't that going a bit far?" Yamamoto reprimanded, not liking the direction this conversation was going. "Hibari is Hibari. Gokudera is Gokudera. You can't really compare them like that."

"How come you let Reiji do what he wants? Isn't it dangerous for him to be playing with rockets and explosives? What if he blows himself up with one of those stupid rockets? I don't see how the Science Club is any less dangerous than the Disciplinary Committee. We are helping the school and this town. We regulate the rules. You should be _proud_ of me! They accept me for who I am," shouted Nao, clenching her fists, "—unlike you."

"Nao! I said no is no. You are NOT going to be consorting with those delinquents, you hear?" Gokudera tried to keep a stern face, he didn't want to yell at his baby girl, but he didn't want her to hang out with Hibari-type people either.

"Nao-chan," called Haru, from the front door, "Senri-kun and Momoka-chan are here."

"Good morning to the EXTREME, SON!" Ryohei hugged Senri the moment he walked into the kitchen. He then proceeded to glomp his son's best friend. "Good morning to the EXTREME, Momoka!"

"Haha," giggled Momoka, slipping from his grip, rubbing her neck. "Good morning Uncle Ryohei."

"Good morning Dad," chipped in Senri. "Uncle Hayato and Uncle Takeshi too. Oh, and Auntie Haru, Nao-san, Reiji-kun, good morning!"

Reiji, Nao's twin, entered the kitchen, waving a hello to his unusually crowded kitchen.

"Ah, Dad, Ryu ditched me last night," complained Momoka to her father. "I _told_ you he couldn't cope without Mom."

Yamamoto chuckled, "Oh, so you were alone last night, Momoka? Sorry about that. He probably went to Tsuna's house, right?"

"Probably," replied Momoka. She gave a small wave to Nao. "Nao-san, let's walk to school today."

"What are you two doing here?" Nao asked, her eyes narrowed suspiciously. Haru walked behind her daughter, handing her a comb to brush her short, spiky hair. "Don't you two normally walk together?"

"We _are_ walking together, but we decided, hey, let's have Nao-san join us today," interjected Senri, taking the seat Nao had occupied, sipping her untouched cup of green tea. "Of course, Reiji-kun is free to join us."

"I refuse," stated the redhead. "Senpai-tachi was probably ordered by their parents to escort me to school, right?"

Noticing the guilty look on both Ryohei and Yamamoto's faces, it was time for Haru Intervention!

"Nao-chan, why don't you just go along with them, today? Reiji-kun can help do the dishes, and you can get to school early to take care of your classroom duties, right?" Looking at it that way, Nao grinned at her mother.

"You're right, I can organize those papers that the Chairman wanted me to do yesterday. Thanks Mother!' Nao gave her mother a peck on the cheek and skipped out the door, with a flabbergasted Momoka and Senri following suite.

"Haru, you're amazing," commented Yamamoto. "Nao-chan just looked really happy right now."

Haru giggled and beamed, "A mother knows her daughter's heart the best!"

Gokudera looked down at his newspaper, disappointed he hadn't been acknowledged or given a farewell by his daughter. Ryohei laughed when Reiji complained about being left behind to do the dishes, offering to help him out, only to have Haru stop her son from letting the clumsy boxer handle her fine china.

* * *

"So, Nao-san, you want to join the Disciplinary Committee?" Momoka gave her kohai a weird look. "Your situation is the complete opposite of Aoi-chan's then, haha."

"What's wrong with Hibari-senpai?" asked Nao, curious about anything relating to the Hibari family.

"Just that her dad wants her to join the Disciplinary Committee but she doesn't want to have anything to do with it. She hates violence. She'd rather tend to her plants," explained Momoka.

Senri grinned, "Well, speak of the devil. There she is!" Waving his arms wildly, he shouted, "AOI-CHAN! OVER HERE!"

The dark haired girl straightened from where she was watering the school's garden. She gave a halting wave and bow, returning immediately to watering her plants. The group soon came upon her, noticing that her long black hair was covered in dirt at the tips.

"Aoi-chan, good morning," greeted Momoka and Senri. Following suit, Nao gave a hasty and shy, "Good morning, Hibari-senpai."

Taking out a handkerchief, Nao wiped the dirt off Aoi's hair, before folding it and putting it back into her pocket. When the gardener spun around with surprised eyes, Nao blushed; after all, it was Hibari-hime, the revered daughter of the infamous former Chairman of the Disciplinary Committee, Hibari Kyouya.

"There was some dirt on your hair," the redhead pointed out shyly, studying her shoes, her different treatment towards Aoi obvious.

"Ah, thank you, um…" Aoi looked uncertainly toward Momoka and Senri. "Good morning Yamamoto-san, Sasagawa-san. I'm sorry; I don't know your friend's name."

"No need to be so formal," said Senri, patting her on the back with a friendly smile. "This is Gokudera Nao, she's a kohai of ours."

Aoi stood up and bowed, "It's nice to meet you. My name is Hibari Aoi, a third year like Yamamoto-san and Sasagawa-san."

"It's _Momoka_ and _Senri_, Aoi-chan! We said it's ok to call us by our first names, remember? How are your plants doing? They seem to be doing okay, but you seemed awfully attentive, so I thought something might be wrong." Momoka bent down to observe the plants that Aoi had been watering.

"Right, Momoka-san, they're doing fine. Thank you for asking. I need to keep the plants hydrated since it's getting warmer. Plants need a lot of water in the summer."

Nao stood on the side, fascinated by Aoi's elegance. She could see the stoic likeness between her and her father, their hair the same shiny black, the same graceful posture. "Um, Hibari-senpai, do you think I could join the Disciplinary Committee?"

"Look at that, Nao-san's blushing." Senri nudged Momoka playfully. "She must be a fan of Aoi-chan, ne?"

It was Aoi's turn to be shy. "No, it's nothing like that. There are still many people who admire Father, so they just associate me with him, but I'm nothing like him…" She trailed off, her face pink, as she started her watering again. "If Gokudera-san wants to join, she can join. But if she wants to meet my father, he visits the school every Friday. You can find him in the Reception Room, if that information helps."

Nao's eyes shined, her voice squeaking in disbelief, "Really? REALLY? Hibari-sama is coming on Friday? I can go _see_ him?"

Aoi nodded, her sunhat bobbing up and down. Nobody could see it because her back was away from them, but there was a small frown between her brows. "You can go see him."

In her excitement, Nao bowed three times consecutively and on the third bow, she clapped her hands. "You're such a good person, Hibari-senpai!" Tears pricked her eyes as she sniffled in joy. "Thank you so much, for giving me this opportunity, Hibari-hime!" Eager to share her news with her Disciplinary friends, Nao raced off to catch the ones who were on patrol.

Momoka smiled, "Well, that was an unexpected side of Nao-san that we just saw."

"I'm going to the other side of school to water the plants, so if you'll excuse me," said Aoi politely, bowing before walking off, swinging her watering bucket.

Senri and Momoka took their leave as well, heading into the school, but they hadn't been in the school building very long before Kotori found them.

"Momoka-chan, Sasagawa-kun, goooood morning," she sang, coming to a halt in front of Senri. Kotori looked at him with a grin, "Hey, Sasagawa-kun, can you go on a date with me?"

Senri looked amused, folding his arms across his chest and turning his full attention to Kotori. "Is this a confession, Naito Kotori-san?"

* * *

**A/N: A recap of the new characters:**

**Sasagawa Benjirou: Sasagawa Ryohei and Kurokawa Hana's son, Namimori Middle 1st year (the only ones who call him "Benji" are Senri and Momo)**

**Gokudera Nao: Gokudera Hayato and Miura Haru's daughter, Namimori Middle 2nd year, admires Hibari, wants to join the Disciplinary Committee**

**Gokudera Reiji: Gokudera Hayato and Miura Haru's son, Namimori Middle 2nd year, Nao's twin, part of Science Club**

**Hibari Aoi: Hibari's daughter, Namimori Middle 3rd year, President of the Agriculture Club, dislikes violence**

**So which character are you most interested in so far? =) Leave a review with your comment (just curious~~) Don't forget to leave a lovely review...because it makes Tune happy ^_^**

**Hope you enjoy it so far! XD**


	3. Kotori: Her Hit List:::Of Men

**A/N: Sorry for the late update! If you haven't read my profile, I got absorbed in my Nico Nico Utaite fandom. And recently I've been watching APH, haha (hilarious stuff XD). Sorry this took so long! The last update for this was over a month ago, so I wanted to get this chapter out before I did another chapter for GoA. And I'd like to promote my other one-shots: "Pineapple Band-Aids" and "Trampolines." Do check them out and give me feedback! I'm sorry if so many OCs are confusing, I hope you can get to know each one! (and for 666 Hell Ring, I might do an omake thing, but if I did it for this chapter, the release would be much later). I'VE BEEN SO DISTRACTED WITH IDEAS. I have another idea up my sleeve for Takahashi Kotone, the OC I made for angelxgirlx21's fanfic (so be sure to look out for that!).**

**I'd also like to promote "Lost Sea" though it's only the prologue right now...(I have yet to put up the first chapter .) But I promise Kai will be squishy! And if he's not going to be squishy...at least we have Basil, right? So do check it out and tell me what you think (since I've gotten no reviews...I'd really like to know what you guys think!) ^_^**

**Hope you enjoy! Sorry if I made any of my characters OOC (do tell me! Although their characters are still in development). Any confusion at all, feel free to point them out and I will fix. Reviews would be appreciated and so would feedback and constructive criticism. Thanks again!  
**

* * *

"Kotori-chan, Mangusta said to give you this." Longchamp handed a packet of papers to his daughter, scratching his itchy scalp. "I looked at it really quick and it looks kind of like a hit list, haha. You're going to turn out just like your ol'man, Kotori-chan. Oh, and Mangusta said to pay special attention to the names circled in red and to stay away from them."

"Okaaaay, where is Mangusta this morning anyway?" Kotori helped her dad with his tie, putting the sheaves of paper aside on her desk. "He's usually around in the mornings. Can you thank him for me later when you see him?"

"Sure thing, Kotori-chan!" Longchamp ruffled his daughter's hair, giving her a bear hug. "Mangusta…let me see, some errands I guess?"

"You're the boss of the Tomaso family yet you don't know the coordinates of your subordinate?" Kotori pulled back from her father's embrace, giving him a teasing punch to the shoulder. And then the horror struck her. "Wait, Mom can't cook. You can't cook. Mangusta isn't home. What am I supposed to eat?"

"Try the convenience store?" That unsure tone of her dad's again; he was forever asking her for advice on things from what color tie would match his shirt best and whether or not they should buy a new grill to deciding which type of guns they should upgrade to and whether or not they should invest in bullet-proof suits. "They have some really good omelets there!" Longchamp suggested, having just been there himself with Pantera. Kotori brightened, that's right, something new for a change!

"Can I have some money to buy breakfast?"

"Sure you can," replied Longchamp cheerfully, reaching into his pockets and handing her a wadful of bills. "Eat to your heart's content."

"I'll be going then, see you later Dad!"

* * *

As Kotori dug through her purse for the correct change for her melon bread (since her dad had only given her bills), she turned her head slightly and inhaled sharply to herself. It was a minor celebrity!

"Excuse me," she started, "Did you appear recently in the Namimori Tribunal? Um…to protect or something?"

The boy standing in the line next to her gazed at her curiously, taking his anpan* from the cashier. Not wanting to obstruct the rest of the line, which mostly consisted of old ladies, he moved to Kotori's left side.

"Mamoru. Joshima Mamoru. It was for a painting competition," the blond leaned his elbows against the counter, waiting for Kotori to pay for her purchase. "Thanks for noticing. Not many people read that corner of the paper. And you are…?"

Kotori thanked the cashier and indicated that they should walk out into the streets. The little bakery was stuffy and hidden in a small alleyway. It was most frequently visited by the grannies of the neighborhood. Longchamp's daughter decided to reject her father's suggestion for omelets in favor of something sweet; after all, she needed the energy and the sugar rush.

"Naito Kotori. If I remember correctly, your painting was called "Vincent van Goh, Painting the Mona Lisa," right? It was really interesting! I clipped it out and stuck it on our refrigerator. My parents really liked it too."

"No way," laughed Mamoru, "that's such an honor. This is the first time someone's mentioned my section in the paper. Much less stick a photo of my painting on their refrigerator. But it wasn't "Vincent van Goh, Painting the Mona Lisa," it was actually "Leonardo da Vinci, Painting the Mona Lisa." Anyway, thank you again, Naito-san. It's a pleasure meeting you. Judging from your uniform, you go to Namimori Middle?"

"That's right! I've never seen your uniform before, which school do you go to?" The brunette slid the wrapper off her bread, biting in messily, both hands tightly gripping the plastic cover. The blond managed to eat his bread neatly, with not even a trace of filling on his collar.

"Sorry if this is rude, but you have crumbs on your chin," pointed out Mamoru courteously, a half smile on his face. "I go to Kokuyo High, I'm a first year there."

The girl grinned and wiped carelessly at her chin, missing an entire section of crumbs that lingered at the corner of her mouth. "Thanks! Kokuyo High? I've heard it's a pretty good school. I'll probably end up going to Namimori High, though. Maybe we'll see each other at sports meets!"

"You're a third year?" asked Mamoru, surprised, thinking that she had been maybe a first or second year.

"Yeah, I am. Why do you sound so surprised? Do I look that young to you?"

"You just have this youthful air around you," shrugged Mamoru, smiling widely. "It's a compliment! You remind me of my sister a lot, she's really energetic too."

"Sister?" Kotori's beam dropped a bit, not the impression one wants to make on a cute guy. "In what way?"

"Full of spirit, eager, bright," listed Mamoru, tapping his fingers. "I think you two would be good friends. She's a third-year too."

"What a coincidence," murmured Kotori, looking distracted, an idea at the back of her mind. She pulled out the papers Mangusta had printed for her. "Can you write your contact information down here? My school's nearby here."

Mamoru looked surprised but took the paper and wrote his name and cell phone number down. "This should do it. We'll stay in touch this way. It was nice meeting you, Naito-san."

"The pleasure's all mine." She bowed and headed in the direction of Nami Middle, sliding the paper back into her book bag, humming cheerfully underneath her breath that she had met an ikemen* today.

* * *

As she stepped into the school building, Kotori saw Momoka with Senri in the western wing and rushed over to them.

"Sasagawa-kun, can you go on a date with me?" she asked, with a flutter of her eyelashes, still hyperactive from her encounter with Mamoru. Her heart still thudded from remembering Mamoru's green eyes, but she tried to shake it off and think about Sasagawa in front of her. He crossed his arms and looked at her, a faintly amused smile on his face.

"Is this a confession, Naito Kotori-san?" Kotori tried to focus on Sasagawa-kun, but her mind kept flashing back to forest green eyes that peered out kindly.

"Of course it's not," she proclaimed with a playful smile, "I'm just asking for a date. It'll be fun!" She turned to Momoka and winked, "Remember, Momoka-chan? You said to go do something with my time, like get a boyfriend or something? So I made this list of boys I'll go on a date with." Kotori took out the stack of papers that Mangusta had printed and waved it in her friend's face.

"So on your list of dateable boys, Senri's first?" asked Momoka incredulously, a restrained smile creeping onto her face. Kotori could tell that the other girl was trying not to laugh, her eyes were crinkled and her lips were twitching.

"More or less so," Kotori grinned. "I picked the top ten most eligible boys in each grade." Momoka grabbed the list from Kotori and scanned it until her eyes widened at one particular name circled in red.

"WHY IS RYU ON HERE?" The aforementioned boy's sister nearly doubled over from laughing, her whole body shook as chortles wracked her body. "Don't tell me you like Ryu? What's with this messed up list? First you have Senri, and then Ryu? Reiji-kun I can maybe understand, but SENRI and RYU? That's too funny, ahahaha."

Senri pouted and elbowed Momoka in the stomach lightheartedly, "Momo! That's too mean, what would Ryu think if he heard you? I've heard he's actually quite popular among the first-year girls, hehe. Way to go Ryu."

In response to this, she smiled slyly, brushing away the tears of laughter, "I know. It's such a surprise…of all the people, someone confessed to Ryu! But Senri, aren't you just upset that I called you unpopular? Did I hurt your manly pride?"

The boy racked his mind for something to say back, of course he was popular! Wasn't he? Girls looked and whispered at him all the time, didn't they? He cocked his head to the side and swaggered, "Of course I'm popular, Momo, what makes you think I'm not? I get confessions, uh, like every other day."

The girl tsked and waggled her finger at Senri, "Lies, lies lies, Sasagawa Senri. You know that if you were ever confessed to, you'd come running to me and rub it in my face the moment that poor girl stepped away from you."

Senri shrugged and admitted defeat, "Fine, you're right Momo. But Naito-san could be a first!" He turned to Kotori and turned his puppy eyes on her, "You like me, don't you?"

While the two friends had been bantering, Kotori had looked distractedly out the window, unable to stop thinking about Mamoru. _Is this love, I wonder, at first sight?_ She felt giddy, reflecting on his gentle, slightly bashful smile. A hand waved in front of her and Momoka's face popped into view.

"Say no, Kotori-chan! You barely know him!" Startled, Kotori thought Momoka was talking about Mamoru, and blurted out, "But he's really cute!"

At this, Senri smiled self-satisfactorily and sauntered next to Momoka, patting her on the back condescendingly. "There, there, Momo. I know it's hard to be wrong sometimes. See? Naito-san said I was really cute!"

In response to his taunt, Momoka pinched his nose shut and didn't let go until he forced her to surrender by tickling her neck. "I'm sure she doesn't mean _you_, there has to be a misunderstanding!" Turning to Kotori, she asked who she had meant, confident that it was most definitely _not_ Senri that Kotori had been talking about.

The dark-haired girl grinned widely, "Ah, it was this boy in the newspaper that I saw this morning!" With that declaration, Senri's shoulders slumped in disappointment and Momoka patted him on the head comfortingly, while beaming from being once again, right.

"What about asking me on a date?" interjected Senri, not willing to lose face in front of Momoka, who'd never let him live this humiliation down, _ever_. "What about the _list_?"

"I'm sorry, do you still mind going out with me on Saturday? Just as friends," apologized Kotori, feeling bad about the list now that she had met Mamoru. _Mamoru_. _Next time I see him, I want to ask him if I can call him Mamoru-kun_, wondered Kotori, feeling shy yet excited just thinking the thought.

He shrugged and said sure, though he mentioned that they weren't exactly "friends." Senri glanced at Momoka with an impish grin but tried not to get distracted…a girl was asking him out, as a friend. Why would he say yes, when he barely knew the girl? Because his honor as a gentleman was at stake, he couldn't just coldly refuse her!

"I'm game," he said, holding his hand for a handshake. "Where do you want to go?"

"We can meet up at the Namimori Shopping District. Is that alright?" Senri nodded yes and before he knew what was happening, Kotori was whisking Momoka away from him.

"See you Saturday, Sasagawa-kun," waved Kotori, her hands wrapped around Momoka upper arms, dragging the struggling girl down the hallway. "I'm going to class with Momoka-chan now."

"Wait, Kotori-chan, don't just drag me off like that," protested Momoka, giving a half-wave to Senri with her back turned. "Class isn't going to start for awhile and I have to stop by the Student Council Room."

"Isn't it alright for you to skip just one day," laughed her friend, sliding open the doors to the classroom. "Besides, I have something I want to talk to you about."

The shorter girl sighed, "Fine, I suppose I'll just have to do those papers some other day. So, what is it?"

Kotori took a seat at her desk and then indicated for Momoka to sit next to her. "First, I'm coming over to your house today, ok? Hehe, we haven't hung out in awhile. Second, I met a celebrity today!"

The class representative rolled her eyes, "So, who was it? The principal? The owner of that bakery we like so much? A super sentai*?"

"Of course not!" giggled Kotori, swatting at her friend. "Remember that artist that was featured in the newspaper last week? Didn't Ryu show you the article?"

Momoka tried to remember. Certainly she recalled Ryu shoving the newspaper into her face, yelling excitedly that it was such an awesome painting, something Italian? She put a hand to her chin, in a thinker pose, twirling a strand of hair around her finger.

"Maaaaaaaybe," said Momoka, her syllables drawn out, crossing her legs together. "Somehow, an image of Ryu shouting and pointing at a newspaper, I can kinda remember. Wasn't it that guy who painted something Italian?"

"Yup," gushed Kotori enthusiastically, shaking her ebony locks side to side. "He had a super cool artist aura. Like one of those celebrities, but he wasn't arrogant at all, but really soft-spoken like a gentleman."

"Right, well, about the list, what's with the names circled in red? Ryu, Senri, and Reiji's names were the only ones that were circled. Why?" It was shortly after that the words left her mouth that Momoka made the connection. "Ah! It's that Mangusta again, right? Ryu, Senri, and Reiji are all connected to the Vongola. Even though your dad is friends with Uncle Tsuna, Mangusta is still making such a huge fuss over the mafia rivalry, huh?"

Kotori grinned wickedly, "Those boys still don't know, huh? It's just a secret between us girls, right?"

The other girl could only grimace and turn away from Kotori's bubbly expression. "It's better if they didn't know. Knowledge is dangerous in the mafia world. I wouldn't want them to be involved with such a life."

"Don't make such a painful expression, Momoka-chan! You're such a good girl, wanting to protect the ones you love!" Kotori giggled and winked at the shorter girl. "I'll cheer you up at your house later."

"Don't invite yourself over like that," reprimanded Momoka, a reluctant smile appearing as she shoved her friend slightly in a playful manner. "I bet you're just coming over for the sushi!"

"I was found out," joked Kotori, "but let's definitely hang out; it's been awhile after all."

"You definitely have an ulterior motive, Kotori-chan," accused Momoka mockingly. "Definitely the sushi!" The girls collapsed into laughter and the incoming stream of students gave the two girls weird looks. Definitely the weird Iinchou and her friend.

* * *

"You know Sasagawa-kun's number, right? Can you text and ask him what kind of girl he likes?" asked Kotori, sprawled out on Momoka's bed, flipping through a fashion magazine she had bought on her way home. She added, "And don't forget to ask about any fetishes too!"

Grudgingly, Momoka flipped open her cellphone from her spot across the room and then waved it in the air in Kotori's direction, "Remind me again why you want me to do this? I had the impression you liked that artist guy."

"I feel bad about the date, so I really don't want to disappoint him. I was thinking, I could dress up to his taste," explained Kotori, another one of her trademark mischievous grins crossing her face as her eyes landed on a page with fishnet stockings. "You don't think Sasagawa-kun would be into this kind of thing, would he?"

His best friend shrugged and punched his number into her phone, prepared to write a message, "How am I supposed to know? We don't exactly discuss these kinds of things."

Kotori titled her head curiously, flattening the magazine spread with her left hand. "Aren't you two _super_ close? I'm sure you guys talk about love and the like sometimes, right?"

As Momoka texted, she absently-mindedly answered, "Not fetishes, but we used to talk about our crushes. Senri hasn't told me about anyone he likes recently though."

"So that's how it is."

"Yep, that's how it is." Click. "Alright, I sent off the text, we'll have to wait a bit for a reply." Momoka settled herself on the floor, sitting cross legged, and opened up a manga that she had borrowed from her mom's private library.

* * *

"Aniki, not fair! You definitely cheated this round," exclaimed Benjirou, his eyes glued to the video game, his thumbs moving at lightning speed.

Senri rolled his eyes at his younger brother and denied the accusation. Suddenly, "Boss Death" played from his cellphone and he paused the game they were playing to get it. Senri glanced at the sender and called out to his brother," You go play online, Benji, alright?"

"How long does it take to check a text?" mumbled the younger Sasagawa, shutting the TV off and slinking off to his room to play RPG games online. "It must be someone he likes if it's going to take that long. Or maybe it's someone he doesn't want me to hear him talking to."

The older Sasagawa boy flopped onto the couch and flipped the cover open. He scanned the text and was so surprised; he had to re-read the text three times. "Fetishes?" His nervous laughter filled the room. "Did she find me out?" Then again, this could be a prank. Maybe Ryu had stolen Momoka's phone and decided to mess around with Senri. Yeah, that was definitely it! They hardly brought it up in casual conversation, why would it come up now?

**[Is this a joke? If this is Ryu, this isn't funny!]**

Senri considered the possibility that Momoka had really sent it. He mulled over the chance of Momoka actually caring enough to ask or if she just wanted to embarrass him. Maybe something had happened and she wanted a guy's perspective. He was, after all, her closest male friend. Wait, he was her _closest_ friend, who else would she turn to? He smiled self-satisfactorily and tapped his foot impatiently while waiting for her reply. It wasn't long until his phone vibrated "Boss Death" again and Senri reluctantly put down the video game magazine he had been browsing through.

**[No, this is Momoka. Why would Ryu steal my phone? He knows not to incur the wrath of Yamamoto Momoka ;] Are you going to answer the question or not?]**

"Like I'm going to answer her seriously," muttered Senri, typing back a quick reply. He couldn't figure out what to say, should he lie and get her off his back or just ignore her? But that would mean that she'd forever have the wrong impression of what kind of girls he liked. He shuddered; if he jokingly said he liked tall girls who played basketball, she'd drag him to basketball games for the rest of his life.

**[Like hell I'm going to tell you. Why do you want to know?]**

On the other line, Momoka fumed at his text. "What's with that tone?" Kotori looked up from her page of skirts and examined her friend. Momoka's nose was crinkled, her brows drawn into a frown, her lips puckered in frustration.

"What's the matter, Momoka-chan? Did Sasagawa-kun just state he has a strange fetish or a weird type of girl that he's into? I think I can probably deal with it," winked Kotori, flipping the page. "Oooh, these are some cute boots!"

"Let me see," said Momoka, taking a seat next to Kotori on her bed. She hated when people were rude, especially people she cared about. It made her veins want to pop. She pointed out that the boots Kotori had been looking at were overpriced.

"So? I can look at them, can't I? Why the sour mood? If he's going to make you this mad, you can just tell him to forget it. Either way, Sasagawa-kun should still like how I look, hehe. That's a guarantee," declared Kotori, giggling softly, turning her attention briefly to her friend.

"I suppose you're right. He's probably just cranky that I'm trying to pry into his "private business" since he's a big boy now, riiiiight?" Momoka laughed, feeling better having come to a logical solution as to why Senri was being such a brat.

**[Fine, you don't tell me. I guess you'll have to find out yourself then. Hope you have fun with Kotori-chan!]**

Raising his phone up to the light, the boy sighed a breath of relief. "What the! She was probably just asking for Naito-san. I should buy her something as an apology, THEN maybe she won't be as mad about the text." Senri had noticed that Momoka had taken longer to respond than usual and concluded that she was probably smashing her phone somewhere or maybe throwing darts at his face. He knew how much she hated rudeness, she was actually pretty Spartan when it came down to it; she had even once beat up a kid in elementary school for making fun of Aoi's shyness.

**[Sorry about that, Momo. I'll see you around.]**

Senri sighed again and then chuckled. "She's turning me into an old man!" He glanced at his ghastly pile of homework and decided that he'd better do it before his mom killed him. It was bad enough when he had one girl out to get him, it was worse when there were two females involved. He grimaced, how did he end up with those two in his life? Oh right, he had been born into it.

* * *

"Over here, Sasagawa-san, over here," shouted Kotori, jumping up and down to show off her skirt, allowing it to rise up and down her knees. "Good morning!"

Senri looked around, embarrassed at having been so publicly called over. He nervously adjusted the collar of his shirt and gave her a morning wave. "Morning, Naito-san. Where do you want to go first?" He looked perplexed when she gave another spin and then an oh-so-subtle cough and point at her skirt.

"What do you think of my outfit? Since you didn't respond to Momoka-chan's texts, she told me to go with a girly theme since the girl you liked when you two were first years was apparently really girly. It was that Asuka-senpai, right? I looked up her pictures in the school yearbook and dressed similarly to her style."

"I'm not sure if that's flattering or freaky," mumbled Senri, hiding his face in his sleeve. He squashed his laugh into the crook of his arm and allowed himself to regain his composure. "So, where do you want to go first?"

Kotori patted his arm reassuringly, "Don't worry Sasagawa-kun, I've got it all planned out. We can go shopping first and then stop by for a snack or meal at the café near the bakery. Does that sound good to you?"

He shrugged and allowed himself to be pulled along to go check out the various new scarves of the season. Somehow, he'd rather have Momoka drag him around, at least she'd punch him when he expected it.

* * *

"Momoka-chan, what's the matter?" Yamamoto leaned over the counter where he had been drying the dishes and tweaked his daughter's nose. "You look bored. It's a Saturday, you should go out and have some fun! Maybe you'll feel better after some gymnastics practice? I haven't see you twirl that ribbon of yours for awhile."

"Dad, do you know when Mom and Grandpa are coming back? You're at Uncle Hayato's so often recently and Ryu's been having late baseball practices."

Yamamoto's eyes softened and his smile brightened. "So that's it! Momoka, sorry for making you lonely. I promise, I'll stick around more if you want. It was bad timing for your mom to go on a business trip at this time. Gokudera's not very good with kids, haha."

"A business trip," drawled Momoka lazily, swinging her feet against the stool. She blew out a scornful breath. "More like mafia mission, right? Ryu's not around, so there's no need to tip toe around me, Dad. I'm a big girl; I'm not frightened so easily."

Yamamoto laughed at his daughter's bravado and made an agreeing noise, "You're a big girl Momoka, but you still get scared. In fact, everyone gets frightened sometimes. Just know that everything is going to be fine, so don't worry. Squalo just called her up the other day; it seems, for an impromptu mission. It's supposed to be an easy job, so just relax a little, Momoka, alright?"

Her eyes widened, "The Varia? They are a freaking assassination squad, what would they need Mom for?" Yamamoto gave her a painful smile and shrugged helplessly. "Don't tell me she _kills_." The words were laced with cold anger and a quarter of hopeful disbelief.

"She's not killing anyone, so calm down Momoka-chan! The Mafia can get nasty but you know your mom is the lead strategist of the Vongola. They just needed her to make them a plan for some sort of infiltration."

"Why couldn't she make a plan from home? She has everything she needs: her computer, her charts, her video games, and her protractor. Everything she needs is right _here_," grumbled Momoka, flicking a crumb across the counter that Yamamoto had missed.

"Don't think you know everything about your mom," said Yamamoto, wagging a finger. His smile shrunk a bit when he noticed his daughter' ashen face at his words. He shook his head at his choice of words. "What I mean is that she needs to scout out the area first and draw up her own custom plan. It's usually like that; she needs to have her own map of the place first. She notes the smallest details, so other maps aren't always useful to her."

Momoka stood up abruptly, slamming her feet to the tiled floor. "You know what, I actually do feel like taking a walk. Bye Dad, love you, see you later." The teen rushed to her room, snagging her cell and her wallet. She blew a kiss to her father before shouting a "I'm going!" and slammed the front door behind her.

"I guess she's at that age," sighed Yamamoto, scratching his neck with soapy fingers. He looked at his watch, wondering when his wife would return from her "business trip."

* * *

Momoka was thinking about where to go in Namimori as she paced the sidewalk. She couldn't exactly mope around the house after storming out. And Senri was busy with Kotori. That gave her an unexpected pang of jealousy. Her two friends hanging out. Without her. She gave herself a forced smile and decided to check out the stores. Something caught her attention, a bright yellow flyer across the street that was advertising a sale at the café near the bakery she frequented with Kotori. She leaned closer to take a look, "Does that say 25% discount? Sweet!"

Unfortunately for Momoka, the person turning around the corner was running too fast to stop himself when he saw her. He ended up knocking her to the ground, despite still being firmly grounded himself. Apologetically flustered, he offered his hand to the girl.

She took it thankfully, pulling herself up. The first thing she noticed about him was his golden hair color. Automatically, she blurted, "Yoshima Subaru. Italian. Painting. Kotori-chan. Newspaper. Ryu."

Taken aback at her outburst, the boy corrected her, "It's actually Joshima Mamoru. Are you a friend of Naito-san's?"

"I am. Sorry for mistaking your name, it's always happening to me," blabbered Momoka, shaking the hand that she was still holding. "My name is Yamamoto Momoka. It's nice to meet you. Kotori-chan was talking to me the other day about you and my younger brother has praised your work before."

The blond smiled bashfully, "That's such an honor. Please thank your brother and Naito-san for me. You are all too kind. If you don't mind, I just have to go and make this quick delivery to the post office." It was a small, plain envelope that was addressed in script, **To the Agricultural Council of Namimori**, and seemed quite thick from what Momoka could see.

"Are you interested in plants, Toshima-san?"

"Um, it's Joshima. And no, I'm only mailing some forms for my sister. She's been busy lately and I wanted to help her out by sending these out." The girl noticed his fidgetiness but didn't say anything, although she did wonder if he was telling the truth about the contents of the envelope.

"If you don't mind, is it alright if I accompany you? It's not everyday I make a new friend." She gave him her most winning smile. She needed a distraction. Anything. Joshima Mamoru was the perfect distraction. "I'll treat you to something later. It's a 25% discount, hehe."

At a loss, Mamoru nodded his compliance and motioned for Momoka to follow him to the post office. Meanwhile, Kotori was trying on her tenth dress that morning, with Senri near drooling from boredom in the corner.

"It looks good," he said, his voice flat and dull. He hadn't even bothered looking anymore. Why did he say yes? He could have been at home finishing that level with Benji!

Luckily for Senri, "Just Be Friends" blasted from Kotori's cellphone and when she looked up, Kotori smiled. "Sasagawa-kun," she sang, "I've got a text from Momoka-chan!"

* * *

**A/N: So hope you enjoyed this. The only new character is Joshima Mamoru. If you couldn't tell, he's Ken's son. ^_^ Who wants to take guesses on his sister? What's she like? Not sure if it's obvious or not who she is though. Anyway, if you do like it (or even if you don't, give advice), please review! ^^ Thanks~ **

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* * *

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Special Blooper: This was how the text conversation was originally, but I changed it. Haha, do tell me what you think of this one as well.

The older Sasagawa boy flopped onto the couch and flipped the cover open. He scanned the text and was so surprised; he had to re-read the text three times. "Fetishes?" His nervous laughter filled the room. "Did she find me out?" The impact of the text hit him and his eyes bulged. "Wait…what? What kind of girl I like? Don't tell me Momo has secret feelings for me!"

**[What type of girl do you like? Do you have any particular fetishes?]**

Senri glanced frantically around, as if to check that no one could see his worked up state. Slowly, he punched in [**Why?]** and hit [send], holding his breath for her answer. He wiped his sweaty palms on his jeans and wondered why he was so tense. Maybe because this was so direct. Maybe it was because of this morning. Maybe it was Momoka. "Boss Death" started up and his phone buzzed in his hand. Hesitantly, but then deftly, he flipped it open.

**[You won't tell me? Someone wants to know ^~^.]**

The boy chuckled, he could imagine her tone, teasing, pouting, and restrained laughter. It occurred to him that this could be a prank. He decided to answer generically and see how she responded. "I like girly girls who are cute," he said aloud as he typed and then hit sent. It wasn't long before he got a "Boss Death" reply.

**[Define girly. What do you think is cute?]**

"Ehhh, she wants me to explain my vague answer," laughed Senri, exasperated. His brow furrowed and he tried to think of something to say. Skirts! Skirts were cute and girly. Headbands and jewelry too! Proud of himself, he sent off his ideas.

**[Ah, I see! Thanks for telling me. It was a great help!]**

"What does that _mean_?" Perplexed, the boy tapped the phone on his head lightly, as if it'd give him some enlightenment as to what was going on. He grinned suddenly.


	4. Mamoru: Dutiful Big Brother

**A/N: Hi~! Sorry for not updating for so long...RL is hectic. OTL school's been busy _ So I'm so screwed for tomorrow (...ignored hw to write 4000~words to finish up chapter OTL) but I'm happy I'm finished with this, mwhahaha. Sorry if it's choppy or a little off. I haven't written for a while and different parts of the chapter were written at different times...I hope it wasn't too weird. o.o I know most of my readers read The Guardian of Autumn but I wanted to finish up this chapter first. Honestly, I haven't started out on the new chapter for GoA at all. I do have a bunch of ideas, it's just actually getting down and dirty and writing it. Oh right! Sorry if er...this chapter was kind of / **

**Either way, I'd love your feedback and reviews! Constructive criticism or pointers/advice would be nice too =)**

**And yes, I admit it, I really ship MomokaXSenri (they are the obvious couple, but be on the lookout for other relationships, kufufufu. Tune has already planned the final couples so.../shot LOL) Reviews are love Thanks for all the people PMing me, asking me what's up~ ^^ I FELT SUPER LOVED **

* * *

As the pair looked over the menus, Momoka tried to think of something to say. She didn't usually drag strangers off the street and treat them to lunch. But she had needed someone to keep her mind busy, and here he was, in all his distractingly blond glory. The name _Joshima_ rattled around her head, like the last treat in the cookie jar that her short fingers couldn't reach. She could almost taste it; the information was at the tip of her memory. The girl's eyes glanced up at the boy seated across from her, noting that he was looking through the menu as if it were in French. Unsure of the atmosphere she was going for, Momoka's fingers played aimlessly against the tabletop, a nervous habit.

"Ehem," she cleared her throat, setting down her menu. "Are you ready to order? I'm getting the croque monsieur and some earl grey tea." In response, he shifted in his seat, sitting straight up and quickly slouching against the booth again. Mamoru let loose a nervous chuckle.

"Honestly, I really don't know what to order. If you don't mind, I'll just order the same thing." He nodded to a waitress, who took their orders immediately and whisked away the menus. Silence hung like a water-soaked veil between the two teens, letting in occasional bubbles of sound. The tea arrived first, providing them with a reprieve from the mounting awkwardness that tags along when you invite strangers to lunch.

Momoka handled her guest's teacup first, pouring the hot tea with a practiced grace. "So, Joshima-san, is it? Your surname sounds really familiar for some reason. I don't believe it's because of that newspaper article either. I saw it in a different context."

"Really? I can't imagine where you might have seen it. Joshima might be a common surname," replied Mamoru, as his cellphone rang, smiling when he saw the caller ID. He gave Momoka an apologetic shrug and excused himself, explaining that the caller was his sister. Momoka consented, jokingly reassuring that she'd definitely remember where she'd seen the name Joshima before.

With Mamoru gone, Momoka felt a sudden self-consciousness that she was treating a guy she barely knew. Feeling impulsive, she dug out her cellphone from her pocket and texted Kotori, wondering how the "date" was going.

**[How's the date going? having fun?]**

It still stung a little that she was being left out, but she didn't want to be a baby about it. It was about time she expanded her horizons. She had chosen for her and Mamoru to sit in a corner booth that gave a nice view of the civilian traffic outside. Her eyes lingered on the back of the boy outside, speaking anxiously into his phone. His head bobbed up and down as he bowed apologetically, and she noticed soon after, his frown morphed into a grin. The waitress came over with the two orders of croque monsieurs and set them down, shooting a curious look at Momoka before leaving. She sighed, hoping that she hadn't given off a pretentious aura by ordering a simple French ham-and-cheese sandwich; but judging by the way Mamoru had reacted, she probably seemed like a snooty rich kid, which she wasn't. In fact, her mom was probably the stingiest person she knew, besides Mammon. It was no surprise that once Momoka's mother and Mammon had found out their shared interest in economizing, a strange kind of bond was forged. Alone again, Momoka's thoughts couldn't help turning to her mother and about the mafia. Thankfully, she was saved by Kotori's response text.

* * *

Enthusiastically, Kotori shoved the screen of her phone into her date's face. "Look! Momoka-chan wants to know how our date is going. What should I say?"

Senri looked up with poorly restrained interest, "Momo? Tell her it's going fine."

As the girl punched away at her phone, Senri leaned against his chair, happy to have the monotony of dress watching broken. "Say," he began hopefully, "why don't we head out to lunch now? We'd have something more exciting to report back to Momo if we did something else besides shopping, right?"

"I suppose so," the dark haired girl murmured absent-mindedly, clicking the [SEND] button. She tossed her long ringlets over a shoulder and glanced in the mirror, giving a cursory look before snapping her phone shut. Turning to her date, Kotori smiled cheerfully, "That sounds like a good idea, Sasagawa-kun. Do you mind if I just go bring these dresses to the check-out desk?"

"Sure," he waved an arm toward the check out desk and stood up. Leading the way, he took some of the dresses from her and glanced backward questioningly. "Do you have any place in mind for lunch?"

With a flirtatious wink, she replied in a bright tone, "As a matter of fact, I do."

* * *

"Ehhh, so this is the place you had in mind," said Senri, looking around. "If I'm not wrong, they just renovated this place, right?"

"I don't know," replied Kotori honestly, taking a seat. "Do you know what's weird? Just before we came in, you know how there was someone outside talking on their phone? That person looked really similar to Mamoru-kun, the guy I mentioned earlier. It must be my imagination; I've been thinking about him all the time lately."

Senri pouted, pulling the menu up to his nose so only his eyes peered out at the girl. "Aha! I knew it! You know, it's very upsetting for me to go on a date with you when your head is full of another guy."

"Sorry, sorry," she waved her menu at him, giggling at his facial expression. Kotori teased, "But isn't your head always full of Momoka-chan? I'm not the only one here whose thoughts are occupied."

Hiding his face completely behind the menu Senri grumbled, "I wasn't thinking about her. I was thinking about how boring shopping was. I wanted to play video games. Besides, Momo must be lonely. After all, I'm not there with her." He flashed a smirk before ducking behind his menu again. But just as quickly, his head shot back up.

"Hey, Naito-san, look over there," he nudged her foot with his sneaker beneath the table. She winced as he nearly stomped her sandaled toes off with his "nudge."

She gave a tart reply, regretting taking up her offer again, "Ouch. First you complain and now you're trying to squash my toes. What is it?"

"Doesn't that look an _awful_ lot like Momo?" Senri pointed to his best friend sitting in a corner on the opposite side of the café, sipping daintily from a cup of tea.

* * *

"Onii-chan, do you know what happened to the forms I left in the greenhouse and the packet of peony-jasmine hybrid seeds I was working with earlier?"

Mamoru grinned sheepishly into the mouthpiece, tasting defeat. "Yeah, I mailed it to the Agriculture Department for you. I was thinking it'd be a waste if you didn't enter the competition, so I did it for you."

His sister on the other line twisted a strand of hair around her finger. Now what was she supposed to? In a well-practiced calm tone she replied, "But I didn't want to enter the competition. Until I was_ ready_ with my other sample of seeds that is. You also forgot that the application needs a photo of the full grown plant too. Basically, you sent off an uncompleted entry, Onii-chan."

Realizing his mistake, Mamoru bit his tongue disappointedly. He had been excited about showing off her work, but neglected to consult her, thinking that she was just being modest. "I'm really sorry! I'll go to the Department tomorrow to fix everything, ok? So when you're ready, you can submit your entry."

The blond was relieved to hear a ringing laugh on the other end. "It's alright, you're forgiven, Mamoru-nii-chan. It's hard to stay mad at you when you sound so nervous like that. By the way, Mother said you should come home to eat dinner."

"Did she?" pondered Mamoru, before agreeing to dine together for the first time in a while. "By the way, Aoi-chan, I met someone you know from school. She kind of treated me out to lunch. Actually, she's _treating_ me out to lunch, haha. You might know her, since you two are in the same grade."

There was silence for a few seconds before Aoi's stiff voice resounded in Mamoru's ear, "Who is it?"

"I believe her name is Yamamoto-san? It's funny, but she says she's seen my name somewhere before."

"Yamamoto-san? I know her," she replied in a quiet voice, so small that Mamoru had to press his ear harder against his phone. Worried, Mamoru asked if something was wrong. The Aoi-chan that he knew and loved was never this quiet; in fact, she was like a spring well, bubbly and cheerful all year round. Her taciturnity right now didn't feel right to him.

"It's nothing," she responded, a forced cheer returning to her voice. "I'll see you later, Mamoru-nii."

"Yeah, I'll see you and Mom tonight, Aoi. Count on it!" Maybe he needed to give her the space she needed. After all, no one wants a suffocating older brother. Feeling confused, Mamoru re-entered the café to join Momoka.

* * *

"Ehhhh." Senri's eyes widened, pointing with his pinky at Momoka's direction. "Momo's with a _guy_." Excitedly, Kotori whirled around in her seat to get a better look, only to have her smile freeze on her face. Why was Momoka with Mamoru? Kotori's frantic eyes turned about to her companion's face, whose eyes were still glued on the pair in the corner.

"Don't tell me," groaned Senri, planting his forehead against the counter, "that's your guy?" Kotori nodded mutely, staring at the top of Senri's bowed head. They were in this shocked state when the waiter came over to take their order.

"What would you like today," he asked cheerfully, pen poised above the pad.

Senri waved his arm languidly and managed to utter out his desire for a large plate of curry while Kotori turned her smile on and asked sweetly for a deli sandwich with a side of potato salad.

"Would you like anything to drink?" The waiter asked, scribbling into his pad without looking down. "You can get our special couples drink at a discount today if you'd like. We have five different flavors and you can request your own customized drink as well."

"We're not a couple," mumbled Senri sullenly, taking a peek at Momoka and Mamoru in the corner. "But I'd like to have one of those 'special' drinks for myself please."

Startled, the waiter asked, "For yourself, sir?"

"Of course it's for me. Is there any problem?" Senri propped his head up, staring at the waiter, his eyes sliding to look at the couple in the corner again. The waiter apologized profusely, bowing several times before relaying their order to the chef.

Jealousy and curiosity mingled to make an uncomfortable sensation in the pit of Kotori's stomach. She suggested, "How about after our orders arrive, we go join those two over there?"

"Sounds like the best idea of the day," he grinned at her, giving her the thumbs up. "Somehow, I'm _super_ curious, you know?"

Shortly after, their waiting was over when their orders came. Nearly forgetting about switching tables, Senri eagerly dug into his curry, cringing when it burned his tongue. "Hot, hot, hot!"

"Sasagawa-kun," said Kotori, amused, "let's go!"

* * *

"So, how'd your talk with your sister go?" Momoka held the teacup in both hands, peering out at the frazzled Mamoru from behind the rising steam. She teased, "It seems like you were scolded, _Onii-chan_."

Mamoru laughed sheepishly, "Yeah, I did something stupid but she forgave me. She has a heart of gold, that Aoi-chan. Actually, I'm pretty sure she goes to your school, Namimori Middle, right?"

Jolting forward so fast she scalded her tongue, Momoka blurted, "AOI-CHAN IS YOUR SISTER!" She fanned her face, trying to cool her tongue down and managed to choke out, "But you two look completely different and have two different surnames. You don't seem like the type of person that would be related to Uncle Hibari; afterall, he'd probably force you to go to Namimori, right?"

"True, I'm not related to Hibari-san but my mom is Dokuro Chrome. Well, she's my "mom" in the sense that she's taken care of me since birth along with Aoi-chan. I've never known my real mother and my dad is friends with Mom so he had her help look after me."

"Auntie Chrome never told us about you," responded Momoka in what would have been an accusatory tone had her tongue not been hanging out of her mouth, still attempting to cool her taste buds. "I can understand Aoi-chan or Uncle Hibari not mentioning it though, they both keep to themselves a lot."

Mamoru's eyes widened, "What do you mean? Aoi-chan's the liveliest, chattiest person I know. She's always bouncing around doing this and that to cheer people up."

"No way," exclaimed Momoka, just as surprised at this description. She narrowed her eyes at him, "Aoi-chan talks to almost no one at school and I rarely see her around town with people. Most of the time, I just see her tending the school ground's gardens and what not. She's pretty shy and super formal; I can't imagine the Aoi-chan you're describing."

She waited curiously while Mamoru thumbed through his photo files on his cellphone. Finding a picture of Aoi beaming after finishing fertilizing the garden, Mamoru grinned and pushed it across the table to Momoka. "Here's a picture."

Stunned, Momoka just stared at the image of a flushed but happy looking Aoi making a peace sign for the camera. Slowly a smile spread across her face as well. "I never knew she could show a smile like that, it's so contagious, hehe. Aoi-chan's so cute when she's happy; I want to see this side of her too." Excitedly she skimmed the pictures, squealing at how cute Aoi-chan was in each shot: Aoi in pigtails mending a net, Aoi baking cookies, Aoi watering the garden.

Proudly, Mamoru relayed the story behind each picture, acting out his sister's exploits. The two teens crowded in front of the screen, their heads touching as they chatted animatedly. "You have so many pictures of her," said Momoka in an awed tone, giggling. "That can be both creepy and cute, you like her so much. But if you think about it, you're not her real brother, right?"

"That may be the case, but she's my sister, even if we're not related by blood," explained Mamoru, unsure how to convey what he meant. "It's not like what you think it is because I've always accepted that Aoi-chan has her own dad but I treat my mom and Aoi-chan as my real family. My dad tolerates Aoi-chan and even if he would never admit it, I think he really loves my mom."

"Joshima," she contemplated this name. "Where have I heard that name fro —"

Momoka's words were cut off as Senri shoved himself onto her side of the booth just as Kotori daintily slid in next to Mamoru. "WHY, WHAT A FUNNY COINCIDENCE SEEING YOU HERE MOMO," he exclaimed with a false grin, trying not to stare down Mamoru. Instead, he turned his attentions to his friend, pulling her upright after barreling her sideways into the window. It was then they noticed each other's lunches and shouted incredulously:

"You got a stinkin' sandwich!"

"You got freaking curry?"

Momoka glared at her best friend, crossing her arms. "You don't get _curry_ when you come to these types of places, Senri, you big idiot."

"Admit it Momo, it _has_ to be better than that dinky little sandwich of yours."

"It's a croque monsieur," she replied hotly, getting worked up for no particular reason, "and don't _you_ forget it."

"Alright, alright, I'll remember the name of it," Senri said, cuffing her across the shoulder. "No need to get all upset about what the sandwich is called, as long as it's tasty."

"Ahahaha, that's the most energetic I've seen Sasagawa-kun all day long. He's the most spirited when he's with you after all, Momoka-chan," Kotori burst out laughing from across the table. She edged her elbow strategically towards Mamoru while speaking to her friends. It was hard feeling like a third wheel the whole time with those two. Even on her "date" with Senri, she had felt the presence of Momoka on his mind the whole time. But now she was merely a spectator, which she quite enjoyed.

"So, who is this guy anyways?" asked Senri, jerking a thumb at Mamoru. He tapped his feet against the floor next to Momoka's sneakers, staring at the blond boy.

"Ah, it seems that you're all acquaintances already. I'm sorry; I should have introduced myself to you earlier. My name is Joshima Mamoru, a first year at Kokuyo High." The older boy half-bowed over the counter and stretched his hand out for a handshake.

Reluctantly, Senri took it and introduced himself as well. In a gruff tone he said, "Sasagawa Senri, third year at Namimori Middle."

Breaking the one-sided tension between the two boys, Kotori clapped her hands together cheerfully. "Now that everyone knows each other, why were you two together anyways? You two looked so _cozy_," smiled Kotori coyly, glancing at Senri's grim facial expression as he spooned the curry up slowly, his eyes set on the other male.

"Oh, I bumped into him on the street," interjected Momoka quickly, laughing forcibly, "_literally_."

"Is that so?" mused Kotori, taking a bite of her own sandwich. "It was just a funny coincidence because I thought it looked like Ma-Ma-Ma-Mamoru-kun outside when we entered." The Naito heir colored slightly at her own boldness and steadied her eyes on the crumbs scattered across her platter. Addressing Mamoru, Kotori murmured, "You can just call me 'Kotori' too…if you'd like that is."

Momoka grinned at Kotori's bashfulness and leaned to whisper into her best friend's ear. "Don't you think Kotori-chan looks so cute all shy and sweet like that? Girls in love are the cutest."

Senri studied his "date" carefully, contemplating Momoka's words. It was true that the blush rising to her pale skin made Kotori prettier, especially with dark ringlets framing her heart-shaped face. But it was no doubt in his mind that the cutest girl he knew was Momoka. No matter it if she was chasing him down with a textbook or beating him at video games, she always looked pretty to him, she sparkled to him. But he couldn't very well say that, now could he? After all, that would give her life-long bragging rights; besides, he was probably the only one in the world who thought she was pretty right? Senri reasoned to himself that if other guys had thought Momoka was pretty, she would have had a boyfriend by now and not wandering the streets, bumping into foreign-looking boys.

"Yeah, I guess so," came his non-committal reply. Quickly downing another spoonful of curry, Senri avoided Momoka's prodding look. "You know, this curry is seriously really good." He loaded up another portion of curry and quickly thrust it into Momoka's mouth, parting her closed lips with his free hand.

_Uwah, her lips are so soft_, he couldn't help thinking to himself as he grudgingly withdrew his fingers from her mouth. "How is it?" he asked her, tilting his body toward her, his elbow propping up against the counter. It was then he noticed the tears hanging in the corner of his friend's eyes as she choked down the hot curry. Was it from the food or was it…?

The first thing she said after swallowing her food was, "That was hot, you idiot! I could barely taste it; did you want to burn my taste buds off?"

"Sorry, sorry. Here, have another bite," he offered her another spoonful, blowing gently across the curry before feeding it to the girl. Under the pretense of worry, Senri slipped his slim fingers between her lips again, opening her mouth slightly "to check for burns." Momoka didn't protest against his actions, allowing him to examine her because she knew it was in his genes to be touchy-feely. And a little physical contact felt good enough to distract her from thoughts of her mom and the mafia. His fingers tasted sweet after all.

Cheekily, Senri requested that she said "Ahhhh" for him and was taken aback when she complied. _Is she really alright? Momo seems kind of off today,_ thought Senri, enjoying the feel of Momoka's mouth against his hand but worried nonetheless. Deciding to take matters into his own hands, in an abrupt move that surprised the whole table, Senri jerked Momoka into his lap and cradled her head against his chest.

"You're obviously not okay Momo, so stop pretending to be strong," he said fiercely into her right ear. "You've been acting strange this whole time, something happened right?"

"No, no, no, the curry wasn't bad," responded Momoka flatly, nestling herself into his embrace, adjusting the position of her legs to fit into his lap. She fingered the collar of his shirt, staring absent-mindedly at the pattern of his shirt. Her eyes were a glassy brown, glazed over with turmoil. The girl whispered weakly into his chest, "I got into a fight with Dad today about Mom."

Being a guy, Senri couldn't help thinking, _Move your hands a little closer to my neck, Momo_ but he figured it was time to shake some sense into his friend. Although a small voice in the back of his head told him not to let go of her, it bothered him that she looked so lost and helpless compared to her usual tough girl, "I can handle it myself," attitude.

On the other side of the table, Kotori and Mamoru couldn't help but gape at the two. The dark-haired girl whispered out of the corner of her mouth to her golden-haired companion, "It's like watching free TV."

"Are those two going out or something?" Mamoru couldn't help wondering as he continued to gawk at the couple, his face flushing red at the tenderness at which Senri treated Momoka, handling her like clay as she seemed to fit into his arms perfectly.

"They're not, but they might as well be," retorted Kotori, her eyes fixed on the look in Senri's eyes as he moved his mouth to Momoka's ear. What she saw there was enough warm affection and raw lust that made her think that if those two morons didn't realize their feelings soon, she'd implement obstacles to _make_ them realize, dammit.

"Momo, everything will be fine," he whispered urgently to her, his hands moving unconsciously around her waist. Senri brushed his lips against her earlobes and moved downwards, breathing hotly against her neck, getting a satisfactory reaction when he felt her shudder against him and squeak.

"Ohmygod, this is like watching—" exclaimed Kotori, trailing off embarrassedly as Senri just pressed Momoka closer to himself. She picked at her lunch and nudged Mamoru to do the same, trying hard not to peek at the two across the table from her.

Momoka squirmed in Senri's arms, seeming to come to her senses after being tickled in her weak spot. "S-Senri, what are you doing?"

"What?" he asked innocently, picking up her hand and tracing a circle into her palm. "I'm not doing anything bad, am I?"

"Don't do it in public," reprimanded Momoka sternly, clenching her hand closed over his wandering finger and shaking it up and down.

"I love it when you're boss, Momo," he grinned with relief, his voice vibrating from having his arm shaken. Bringing her fist up to his cheek, he rubbed his cheek along her knuckles playfully.

_Why don't you just say 'I love you, Momo_,' thought Kotori, wanting to scream at Senri for not manning up and taking initiative. She coughed and kicked Senri beneath the table, stomping his toes as hard as she could with sandals. "Sasagawa-kun, please eat your food. Momoka-chan seems like she's feeling better so please stop man-handling her."

Realizing what it might look like to others, Momoka hastily climbed out of Senri's lap, but not before pinching his ear. "If you do that again in public I'm going to _kill_ you. And don't think I don't remember about yesterday."

The boy merely laughed, returning to his curry as if nothing had happened. Mamoru whispered to Kotori, "Are they always like that?" Feeling her cheeks heat up at his sudden proximity, Kotori nodded a small yes. She turned away from him, hiding her smile as she ate her potato salad next.

"I apologize for Senri's rudeness," bowed Momoka, forcing Senri's head down as well. "I'm also sorry for ruining your, uh, appointment with Senri, Kotori-chan."

"It's not a problem," reassured Kotori, relieved Momoka hadn't called it a "date" aloud. "It's good to see that Sasagawa-kun was able to cheer you up."

"He didn't cheer me up, just seeing his face around here makes me mad," the class representative retorted, her lips pouting while her eyes were laughing.

"Don't say that," joked Senri, smacking her lightly across the shoulder. "You know I'm your reason for living, haha." Putting his arms up to shield his face he yelped, "Don't hurt me!"

"Don't flatter yourself Sasagawa Senri," she kicked his shin beneath the tabletop and then brought her sneaker squarely down on his foot in a stomp.

"Ow, what's with girls stepping on my feet today," muttered Senri, wincing slightly.

He jumped slightly when she suddenly screamed, "AHHHHH! IT'S ALREADY THIS TIME?" Momoka jumped to her feet after casually glancing at the time on her cellphone, pulling Senri up with her. "We have to go visit Uncle Tsuna today. There was something I wanted to discuss with him. Sorry about this, Kotori-chan, Joshima-san. It was nice meeting you. Have fun you two." Slapping their bill on the table, Momoka and Senri rushed out in a whirl, leaving Mamoru and Kotori to themselves.

Suddenly nervous, Kotori stabbed at her food with gusto, chewing silently. Her ears perked up when he started to speak but she was let down when he announced that he had some errands to run as well before going to eat dinner with his sister. "Ah, well it was nice seeing you again, Mamoru-kun," she said, faltering at his name again. "I hope you don't mind my using your name so informally."

"It's alright, Naito-san, please feel free to call me whatever you feel comfortable with. Please thank Yamamoto-san again for me. I'll see you around," he waved cordially to her before exiting the café.

It was as Mamoru was leaving that they both heard a distant scream coming from outside.

* * *

"Oi Momo, what was with that dramatic scene back there?" asked Senri, giving her a curious sidelong glance as they walked closely to each other. "That last outburst was even weirder than the weirded-out-you from before."

Momoka twisted her sleeve around her hand distractedly, "I feel bad about ruining your date with Kotori-chan so I kind of wanted to give her some alone time with Yoshima-san. That's all; but I really do need to talk to Uncle Tsuna about something though."

It was mid-afternoon already. Senri glanced around, there weren't too many people out on the streets, just a few shoppers, some schoolgirls, and a gaggle of boys crowded at the arcade. Now was as good a time as any other, he supposed.

He tugged Momoka's arm and pulled her to the side of the street so that they were somewhat concealed by the leaves. "Hey," he said softly, his hand trailing against her wrist, feeling the steady throb of her pulse.

In reply, she kicked at the leaves falling to their feet, "Hey yourself. If there's something you want to say, just spit it out."

Senri bent so that his face was a few mere centimeters from Momoka's. He smiled and when he spoke, the girl could feel his breath caress her cheeks. "Now, now," he started in a low voice, his left hand dipping into his jacket pocket slowly, "is that the tone you take with someone who gives you a present?" As he talked, he was slowly edging her into the brush so that they were hidden amongst the trees.

Momoka looked confusedly at him, pulling his face down so they were nose to nose. "Don't mess with me Senri, don't waste my time. What do you want?" Senri was momentarily distracted; it was the second time that he had been able to look into her eyes like this. They were at a distance, he noted somewhere in the back of his mind, that if he stumbled forward, he'd be able to taste her, that soft, rolling taste of peaches.

"Wah — ah right! Uh, here's your present," he fumbled with the flat package in his hand and pushed it into her hands. On a quick impulse, he kissed her forehead quickly and laughed. "Tell me how you like it, alright?"

She rubbed the spot he kissed absent-mindedly, tearing open her package. It was at that moment that Momoka screamed loud enough for Kotori and Mamoru to hear. "KYAAAAA!" Senri was surprised to find himself suddenly tackled by Momoka as she flung her arms around his neck. "Senri," she beamed, her lips pressed against his collarbones in a wide smile, "thank you so much!"

The boy felt his face heat up with pleasure, wrapping her in a hug (not like her arms weren't already wrapped around him). "No problem, Momo. It's my apology for yesterday. I'm assuming you like it?"

"I love it," she looked up at him happily. "How'd you manage to get their new CD so fast? It just came out yesterday!"

He scratched his cheek bashfully, "The Animate store near my house usually gets a pretty big shipment. Do I get into Momo's good book then?"

"You sure do," she replied, tip-toeing to kiss his cheek and hooked her free hand with his. "You're the best friend a girl could have, Senri. Now shall we proceed to Uncle Tsuna's house?" Neither of them could hear a distant _click, click, click_ of a shutter closing in the distance.

* * *

"Ring the doorbell Senri," commanded Momoka, their hands still linked down to the pinky. It hadn't taken long to get to Tsuna's house but the two teens had been side-tracked by going on the swings (…yes, at their age).

The door was opened by a boy whose coffee-brown eyes gleamed intelligently behind framed glasses. "Ah, it's Onii-chan and Onee-chan. I'll go get Dad."

"Sheesh Nobu-kun, is that the way you talk to your cousins, like we're alien strangers?" teased Momoka, stepping into the house. "I have something private to talk about with Uncle Tsuna, so just hang out with Senri in the living room, okay?"

Sawada Yoshinobu gritted his teeth, his hand tightening on the doorknob, "I may only be in sixth grade, but you don't need to actually _treat_ me like an insolent fool, Onee-chan."

"Just let them in Onii-chan," scolded his sister, ushering her cousins in. Senri mused that she really did look more like her mother as she grew up, right down to the bright copper shade of her hair. "Momoka-neechan, you and Senri-niichan haven't stopped by lately and it's gotten lonely lately with Oniichan preparing for his middle-school entrance exams."

"Wait a minute, Sorami-chan," interrupted Senri, "the entrance exams aren't until spring. I know because we have to take our high-school entrance exams then too, you know."

Momoka laughed and hooked a friendly arm around her cousin who tried to shrug her off, "Nobu-kun's just an overachiever, Senri."

There was a shuffling of slippered feet and Vongola the Tenth entered the room, grinning when he saw his nephew and niece (oh what the heck, was he really going to call her his first cousin once removed all the time?). "Momoka, Senri! Do you two want some food? Kyoko just made some brownies for Nobu and Sorami's lunches tomorrow."

"I'd love to have some food after we _talk_, Uncle Tsuna." Momoka pinned the Vongola with her eyes, straightforward and demanding answers.

Tsuna rubbed the back of his neck and sighed, understanding perfectly what she meant. "Alright, Momoka-chan, let's discuss this in my office."

"Can I come too?" piped up Senri, his mouth already full of dessert despite having just eaten.

"You don't need to worry about it, Senri-kun," reassured Tsuna, leading his "niece" into his office. Moments after their ensuing discussion, there was someone at the door. _Ping, ping, ping, ping, ping_, the doorbell went crazy, not stopping until the Sawada household's front door was blasted inward with a "VOIIIIIIIIIIIII! YOU BASTARDS TAKE TOO DAMN LONG TO ANSWER THE FREAKING DOOR!"

* * *

As Mamoru walked the path that led into the woods behind Namimori Middle, he could feel one of his periodic headaches coming on. He rubbed his temples, hoping that he'd at least make it to Aoi-chan's house before he fell unconscious. The last time he had felt the dark-red pain, he had passed out somewhere along the highway and woken up with a cut along his arm, but otherwise feeling fine, in a convenience store. Mamoru's world faded to gray as he felt his eyelids flutter shut and he regretted that he couldn't have fought a little harder this time as well.

* * *

"Aoi, did Mamoru say he was coming over for dinner tonight?" asked Chrome, washing the rice in the sink.

Chrome's daughter looked up from cutting carrots to reply, "Yeah, he should be coming soon Mother." A blur of a shadow in the garden caught her eye and Aoi carefully wiped her knife, placing it to one side. "Mother, I'll be right back. I'm just going to pick some more carrots from outside."

Stepping quickly to the backyard, Aoi slid open the doors that led to the back porch. "Psst," she whispered cautiously, "are you out there? I saw you from the kitchen; please don't go." The girl didn't startle when a boy with death-black hair appeared at her side, smirking winningly, "I'm right here, Aoi-chan. I've missed you."

Aoi smiled back, a small wrinkle between her eyebrows, and hugged the trespasser. "Is Mamoru-niichan alright? You didn't hurt him, right? How can you miss me when you're always talking to me?"

He chuckled darkly, "I miss holding you, Aoi. Don't worry; your precious "Mamoru-niichan" wasn't in _too_ much pain and there's simply nothing I can do about it."

"What should I tell Mother?"

"About Mamoru? Well, wasn't he on a date earlier with that Yamamoto girl? Just tell your mom that he's still on a date and won't be eating dinner with you two."

"I guess I've got no choice," sighed Aoi, leading the boy up the back steps. "You can hide in my room until later, ok?"

"I don't need to hide," grumbled the teen, trying to resist Aoi's efforts without causing her harm. "I can just wait outside until you're done."

"Nonsense," she scolded, pushing him into the Hibari household, "you'll catch a cold if you sit around outside, Kaname-niichan."

* * *

**A/N: I hope this wasn't terribly confusing. If you have any questions or points you want cleared up, please do leave a review! ^^ I'll see what I can do to fix it up. And yes...Senri and Momoka got very physical this chapter, didn't they? -cough- I dunno how fast I'll update my other story though...my grades are going down the drain _ LOL but thanks for supporting me guys See you around~^^**


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